A/N: I just have to say, for those of you who saw "The Return of the King": wasn't it SO cute when Pippin caught the bouquet and shyly looked over at the hobbit-lass standing next to him? I thought that was adorable, I'm assuming that was Diamond, and if it is, it is exactly how I imagined her.

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

"Estella?" Came a voice from inside the Bolger's residence.

"Here, Ma," Estella called out, turning her head towards the house.

Soon, Mistress Bolger came running out with Mister Bolger close behind her.

"Good gracious, child!" her father cried, seeing Merry carrying her and the condition of her leg. "What happened?" Then he suddenly did a double-take and looked Merry over.

"Why, it's Meriadoc Brandybuck! I had heard rumors that you and your friends were back, but I was not sure if it were true. Where've ya been, lad?" Mr. Bolger looked Merry over. "By the looks of it, you've been far!"

"Aye, Mr. Bolger," he then paused for a moment then said, "I think I had better carry Miss Bolger inside."

"That's a good idea," said Mrs. Bolger, "I was wonderin' when which of you two lumpkins was gonna remember her," he voice was stern, but in spite of the situation she managed to have a hint of amusement in her voice. She then looked at Merry as he walked up the steps of their house and carried Estella over the threshold.

Suddenly, a vision of Estella in a white gown and Merry in his "Sunnedei best" repeating that last action, hit her. Her old eyes gleamed with an idea.

"Where's Fatty?" asked Merry as he carried Estella into her room to lay her on the bed. He managed to do this with as little color on his cheeks as possible, which, he admitted to himself, proved to be quite a feat.

Mrs. Bolger's eyes, who had mischeviously twinkling moment's ago, were now glassy and shone with sorrow. A small sob came to her throat.

Merry turned to Estella and Mr. Bolger.

"What happened?"

Diamond sat by her window, anxiously fidgeting with her apron pocket, mindlessly pulling the material over and under her fingers. "I should have gone!" she thought to herself, "instead of staying in my little hole!"

After Pippin had spread the word in Long Cleeve, he had dropped her off at her hole. Diamond was surprised that he remembered where it was, since his stays at Long Cleeve had never been often and he had only ever came to visit a few relations who had relocated from Tuckbourough to Long Cleeve.

"I hope Pippin is all right!" she found herself close to exclaiming. Diamond didn't know why she had kissed him when he had rescued her. Well, maybe she did, but she just never dwelt on it, for fear of admitting something she had never planned on feeling. Ever.

Diamond tried to call up the annoyance and even anger she had felt toward Pippin from their days before he left . . . And failed utterly.

(Excerpt from "Grey Havens": pg. 328-329):

"The clearing up certainly needed a lot of work, but it took less time than Sam had feared. The day after the battle Frodo rode to Michel Delving and released the prisoners from the Lockholes. One of the first that they found was poor Fredegar Bolger, Fatty no longer. He had been taken when the ruffians smoked out a band of rebels that he led from their hidings up in the Brockenbores by the hills of Scary.

'You would have done better to come with us after all, poor old Fredegar!' said Pippin, as they carried him out too weak to walk.

He opened an eye and tried gallantly to smile. 'Who's this young giant with the loud voice?' he whispered. 'Not little Pippin! What's your size in hats now?'

Then there was Lobelia. Poor thing, she looked very old and thin when they rescued her from a dark and narrow cell. She insisted on hobbling out on her own feet; and she had such a welcome, and there was such clapping and cheering when she appeared, leaning on Frodo's arm but still clutching her umbrella, that she was quite touched, and drove away in tears. She had never in her life been popular before. But she was crushed by the news of Lotho's murder, and she would not return to Bag End. She gave it back to Frodo, and went to her own people, the Bracegirdle's of Hardbottle.

When the poor creature died next Spring---she was after all more than a hundred years old---Frodo was surprised and much moved: she had left all that remained of her money and of Lotho's for him to use in helping hobbits made homeless by the troubles. So the feud was ended."

Merry embraced Fredegar the minute he reached him and close behind came the rest of the Bolgers, laughing and crying all at once. Estella was comically brought in a wheelbarrow to see her brother.

"'Stella?" he cried weakly in alarm, "what happened?"

"It's nothing that you should fret about, Fred, all is well and you are still alive!" Her last words dissolved into happy tears and she reached out to her brother, who came and drew her into his arms.

"My dear baby sister!" he sobbed as he held her.

Merry felt a tear or too sting his eyes at the sight of the reunion and hastily tried to inconspicuously wipe them away.

Nearby . . .

"Pippin!"

The hobbit turned at the sound of his name being called. It was Diamond. She was running down one of the nearby hillsides, towards him. But, then she suddenly stopped and looked about her, at the prisoners being released from the Lockholes.

"It is over then, is it?" she asked quietly.

"Aye," answered Pippin, in an equally soft voice, "it is."

Diamond took a deep breath and her shoulders relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from them.

"What are you doing here?" Pippin asked.

"I came to see if I was needed."

"Needed? Diamond, even if you had been here, I doubt you could have been much help," Pippin instantly regretted his words.

Diamond bristled.

"What do you mean?"

Peregrin, would have tried to mend it, but the sudden eruption of feelings he felt for her and thus fought, since that fateful kiss, compelled him to do the opposite.

"I mean that you obviously can't hold your own defenses very well; I mean I had to rescue you from that ruffian; I mean that you were completely helpless!"

"Pippin, he was a good two or three feet taller than me! And no doubt three times as strong."

"Exactly!" cried Pippin. "Diamond, I'm sorry, but you couldn't defend yourself against a bowl of pudding if it attacked you."

Diamond glared at him. "I mainly came here to see if you were unhurt, but now I regret the action!" The hobbit-lass turned on her heel and stormed away from him.

Pippin wanted to run after her and shout out: "No! No! I didn't mean it!" But, his Tookish pride flared up and refused to let him.

"What shall we do, Sam?" asked Frodo of his servant. "I cannot stay at Bag-End in the condition it is right now, and you and your gaffer cannot stay in Number Ten, either."

"Well, Farmer Cotton has most graciously opened his home to us."

Frodo gave Sam a keen glance and a bit of his old grin flashed for a moment. "I know you're happy about that Sam,"

Sam blushed and turned his gaze down to feet. Sam had admitted to Frodo when it seemed that they were going to die among the crumbling kingdom of Mordor, what Frodo had known all along. Frodo had been able to remember the Shire.

"'I can see the Shire,'" he had said, 'the Brandywine River, Bag End, Gandalf's

fireworks, the lights in the Party Tree.'"

"'Rosie Cotton dancing,'" Sam had said, sorrowful longing and regret evident in his voice, "'She had ribbons in her hair. If ever I was to marry someone, it would've been her. It would've been her!'"

"Yes, I am," the present Sam, said.

"Then, it sounds like a very good thing and I would be most happy to accept his invitation. It would also be the perfect time for you to ask a certain question."

"I know. That did come to my mind more than once, Mr. Frodo."

"Merry, my mother wanted me to ask you this, what do you say to joining my family for dinner tonight after we finish dismantling this section for the day?" Fatty asked as they were busy on the process of taking down all the new sheriff houses that had been put up by what they had called "Sharkey's Men."

"That sounds grand, Fatty, nothing would please me more!"

"Dinner!" Pippin's voice was heard from around the corner of the ugly building. He soon came into view, still his Guard of the Citadel uniform. He and Merry had been both loathe to remove their grand garments of valor as of now. "Now, Fatty, where food is involved, you wouldn't dare think about leaving me out, would you?"

Fatty laughed heartily, something he had not done for awhile. "Of course not! How could I keep you from coming where food is involved?"

Pippin chortled and went back to his task.

Merry and Pippin were welcomed into the Bolger's residence with glad exclamations and open arms.

"It has been a long time since both you lads last visited this house. It's good to have you back again!" Mrs. Bolger said before bustling back into the kitchen.

Estella took their coats and cloaks and placed it on the pegs by the door. They did not where their uniforms tonight, considering that it would be an awkward thing to wear at a dinner party, even a small one.

"Good evenin', Merry," Estella said brightly, then with raised eyebrows she greeted Pippin. "And good evening to you, too, Pippin."

"Good ev'n, Miss Bolger."

"Uh . . . make yourselves at home," she gestured lamely to the parlor furniture.

Estella then walked briskly into the kitchen and lowered her voice to a point to where her mother could only hear her.

"Ma, you didn't tell me Pippin was coming!"

"Oh?" said her mother innocently, "It must have slipped my mind."

"If I had known I never would have invited Diamond over for dinner as well!"

Soon, the inevitable came, there was a knock at the door. Estella went to the door with her heart full of dread. "I wonder how many times I will have to explain to her that this was not my doing before she will even begin to believe me," she thought.

Then, taking a deep breath, Estella opened the door.

"Good evening, Diamond," she said, greeting her friend with the cheeriest of forced expressions.

"Hello, 'Stell!" her friend replied with a grin, not noticing, as she stepped over the threshold.

Pippin's ears pricked up at the sound of Diamond's voice.

"What in the Shire-?" he thought. "No one told me she was coming!"

Once Diamond got past her best friend and entered the parlor, her eyes immediately locked with Pippin's.

Estella squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the explosion that was soon to follow.

I hope you liked that! Send a review and any suggestions you would like give, but BE NICE!!